The #1 verse I use to define “enough” financially

 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Work and money are inextricably linked. So over the next four weeks, I’ll unpack four biblical principles for honoring God with your income—whether you’re barely making ends meet or enjoying far more than your “daily bread.” 

Here’s the first: We are free to enjoy the fruit of our labor—but the primary purpose of abundance is to bless others.

1 Timothy 6:17 makes the first half of that statement clear. After warning Timothy not to put his “hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,” Paul says it is that same God “who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

But Paul is even clearer that the primary purpose of our abundance is to bless others. In 2 Corinthians 9:8, he implies that abundance is anything beyond what you “need” to “abound in every good work” God has called you to. 

With that definition in view, it’s clear that many of us have significant financial abundance as a byproduct of our work. What are we to do with the income that surpasses our needs? 

Paul answers that question a few verses later saying, “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion” (2 Corinthians 9:11). Which parallels a theme we see all throughout Scripture: God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others (see Genesis 12:2 and Ephesians 2:8-10).

With that truth in mind, take a fresh look at your budget through the lens of 2 Corinthians 9:8 and ask, “What do I ‘need’ financially to ‘abound in every good work’ God’s called me to?”

When my wife and I did this a few years back, God convicted us about how much we were spending on travel. At the time, we were spending nearly all our excess income (beyond what was already earmarked for giving) on vacations.

As we walked through this exercise, it became clear that some travel does help us “abound in every good work.” Because God uses changes in scenery to rejuvenate us, make us more aware of his presence, connect more deeply as a family, etc. 

But excessive travel wasn’t a need. It was an idol. So we set a cap that we do not exceed. Now, our financial abundance is free to flow into my ministry, our church, and an orphanage we support—not Marriott.

I don’t offer that example to be prescriptive, but practical. If you have more than you need today, apply 2 Corinthians 9:8 to your personal budget for God’s glory, the good of others, and your joy.